


Everybody Loves Dean

by Cerdic519



Series: An Advent Alphabet [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Advent Calendar (sorta), Christmas Presents, Dean Has Feelz, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Episode: s04e01 Lazarus Rising, F/M, M/M, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, Mechanic Dean, Panty Kink, Professor Castiel, Self-Esteem Issues, Seriously way too much fluff!, Star Wars References, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, We are talking MEGA levels of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-03 01:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 12,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8691046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerdic519/pseuds/Cerdic519
Summary: Castiel Winchester wants to put an end to his wonderful husband's persistent self-loathing, which still crops up at times despite their happy marriage. Working with their many other friends and family, he takes advantage of Advent to work through an A to Z of surprise presents, in order to show his husband just how much everybody loves Dean.An Advent Alphabet rather than the usual Calendar. For Shannon_Kind, whyamIdoingthisitswrongbutIloveit and majesticduxk, in appreciation of their kind comments.





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shannon_Kind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shannon_Kind/gifts), [whyamidoingthisitswrongbutiloveit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whyamidoingthisitswrongbutiloveit/gifts), [majesticduxk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesticduxk/gifts).



Tuesday 1st November

“Good things do happen, Dean.”

Castiel Winchester, college professor and (if proof were needed that miracles were a thing) Dean Winchester's husband, was worried. True, Dean had the same gold band on his finger that Cas wore with such pride, but the professor still had concerns. Not for the fact that it had taken a monumental effort for Dean to propose (he had started hyperventilating immediately afterwards), but because the mechanic still had far too low an opinion of himself. And Cas could see no easy way to convince him otherwise.

No _easy_ way.....

+~+~+

Tuesday 29th November

His husband (Cas would never get tired of thinking that word) stared at the present in confusion.

“Uh, the big day's nearly four weeks away, Cas”, he said, accepting the long thin box. The professor smiled.

“I know”, he said. “But this year I wanted to get you something a little special.”

Dean smiled at him.

“Dork!” he said affectionately, and carefully unwrapped the present. 

It was a long white jewelry box, which he opened. Inside was a simple metal chain bracelet, with detachable loop ends.

“Huh?” 

Cas took his husband gently by the hand.

“This is going to be a very special Christmas season for the man I love”, he said quietly. “Starting tomorrow and in the twenty-six days up to Christmas, you are going to be given a number of presents, and each one will come with a small bead which is to be threaded onto this chain. You get the last one on Christmas Day itself.”

Dean blushed.

“Sap!” he muttered, though he looked pleased.

“We'll see”, Cas said. “Oh, and each gift will be related to a letter of the alphabet, just so you can think beforehand as to what it might be.”

“I'm gonna be spending the rest of the day thinking about that”, Dean said. “You know how frustrated that'll make me?”

Cas grinned.

“I'm sure you can take it out on my butt when you get in from work later”, he quipped.

That was definitely a happy yip he heard as he left the room. He smiled.


	2. A is for Award

Wednesday 30th November

Dean was surprised to arrive home and find a certain moose's car in the driveway. Sammy always called before coming round, if only to avoid seeing what he had seen the last time he had failed to take that particular precaution. Dean had found a bill for therapy in his email the day after that; serve the guy right for blundering into their bedroom like that!

He was still grinning at the memory when he came into the kitchen and found Sam and Cas there. His husband kissed him, and then fetched the bracelet box from a cabinet where, presumably, it now lived. Sam gave him two presents, one small and one medium-sized. Dean opened the small one first; it contained a black metal bead which had a capital 'A' on one side, and a tiny drawing on the other. He did not need glasses; it was just too damn small.

Sam pushed over the other present, which Dean looked at warily.

“Bit early, Sammy”, he said.

“You are getting presents from various friends and family every other day”, Cas explained, carefully slipping the tiny bead onto the bracelet. “The drawing on the obverse side is to remind you of the gift for that day.”

Dean wondered idly how on earth he'd ended up with someone who could use the word 'obverse' in a sentence.

“Only every other day?” he asked. Cas grinned.

“I will be providing the gift on the even-numbered days”, he said, with a knowing smirk.

“Cas!” Sam protested. "Brain bleach again!"

Dean grinned, and finished unwrapping his main present. It was a silver trophy (so that was what the weird shape on the bracelet-thing had been), with the engraving of a rosette and the words 'Brother of the Century'. There may have been a manly sniff from someone in the room.

“You were always there for me, Dean”, Sam said quietly. “I just wanted to recognize that.”

“Sap!” Dean muttered halfheartedly. But he was grinning like a loon, so possibly the effect of his reprimand was somewhat diminished.

“Will you stay to dinner, Sam?” Cas asked. Their visitor shook his head.

“Jess' parents are coming over”, he said, “so I have to be heading back. Besides....” he grinned, “I know Dean won't want to share the pie you got him.”

“There's pie?” Dean asked excitedly, not bouncing up and down like a kid in kindergarten. Cas nodded.

“Every day up to Christmas”, he said. “Unless, of course, you get tired of it.”

Dean was so busy staring incredulously at him that he missed his brother's departure. And his snigger.


	3. B is for Barn

Thursday 1st December

He was gonna get thirteen presents from Cas, the first one today. Thirteen presents from the guy with a brilliant imagination, who knew Dean better than he knew himself.

Dean may or may not have been less than one hundred per cent effective at work that day. Fortunately he was so happy that he was able to ignore his co-workers' knowing smirks. Possibly the slice of pie that Cas had packed him for lunch also helped. Just possibly.

He was surprised when Cas called at the garage near the end of his shift. He knew he didn't usually have any lectures on Thursday afternoons, but he used that time as a rule to thoroughly clean a Dean-less house.

“I have something a little different planned for tonight”, Cas explained, “which was why I took the bus in this morning. Inias dropped me off.”

“I've only got an hour left”, Dean told him Cas grinned.

“Bobby said that if he saw your scrawny ass in the garage ten minutes from now, he'd tell Ellen about those magazines you don't keep under your old bed at the Roadhouse.”

Dean was at the locker and getting changed before Cas had finished the sentence.

+~+~+

Cas directed them out of town, and Dean soon realized where they were headed.

“Bobby's farm?” he asked. Cas nodded.

Bobby's farm. Where he'd first met Cas all those years ago, the professor calling in on Bobby and Ellen to discuss Jo. Cas had walked into the barn, and Dean had been totally smitten. There may or may not have been drool. Cas had certainly emerged from the place a lot more disheveled than when he had gone in, which in itself was some achievement on Dean's part.

Dean parked in his usual place, and wasn't surprised when Cas led him to the old barn. But when Cas opened the door and ushered him inside – _then_ he was surprised! There was a small gingham-cloth table, laid with dinner for two and complete with candles. Cas pressed a small remote he had pulled from his pocket, and the unmistakable tones of Kansas came out of a stereo from somewhere. Dean's eyes watered.

Cas led him to the table and pulled his chair back for him. Dean sat down, suddenly feeling shy. As well as the delicious food, there were also two wrapped presents on his place-mat. He opened the smaller one first, and found it to be a white bracelet-bead with a letter 'B' on it, and a drawing of a barn on the back. Then he opened the larger one, and gasped.

It was one of those cheesy weather-forecasting devices, where a different person came out of each side of a house depending on whether it was sunny or rainy. But this one.... instead of a country cottage, the building was the very barn they were in. And there were two figures on each side; Cas and Dean in raincoats huddling under an umbrella on one, and the pair in beach shorts on the other, kissing.

By a lucky coincidence, there was also a box of tissues on the table.


	4. C is for Costume

Friday 2nd December

Dean stared at the weather-station that he had nailed up by the door that morning. It looked like being a sunny day. Many, many sunny days ahead with his perfect angel. God, he was becoming such a sap!

Fortunately it was a hectic day at the garage, as Ash was called away with the truck to sort out a three-car shunt and the rest of them had to work flat out to keep up. Dean was tired and hungry when he got home, and more than grateful that it was a Friday, which meant that Cas would let him have pizza.

Let him. Ye Gods but Sammy was right; Dean Winchester was totally whipped!

If truth be told Dean was a little miffed to be coming into his house and not smelling pizza, but all annoyance was swept aside when he found a pixie-sized red-head waiting for him. And there were two presents, the small one containing today's bracelet-bead and a much larger box beside it. He opened the former and stared.

“A whip?” he said uncertainly. “Not implying Cas has me whipped, are you Char?”

She chuckled.

“Everyone knows that!” she grinned, ignoring his pout. “No, C is for what's in the big box.”

Dean duly opened the larger box. And stared.

“An Indiana Jones costume!” he gasped, remembering that he occasionally had to do that breathing thing. “Wow!”

“Not exactly”, she grinned. She handed him a sheet of paper, and he went almost white.

“Char, you can't afford this?” he gasped. “Not one of the originals worn by the great Harrison himself!”

“After what the government paid me for sorting out those hackers, sure I can”, she grinned. “And you have the very costume – well, one of them – that was worn by Indy himself. Though I bet Cas can't wait to get you out of it!”

“Correct!” came a familiar rumble. Dean looked up to catch the look on his husband's face, and.....”

“And that's the cue for my departure”, Charlie said as she ran for the door, “before I get scarred for life by all your man-love. Happy Holidays both, and please let me make it out of the driveway!”

The door slammed behind her, and the room was silent except for Cas's suddenly heavy breathing.

“Dean Winchester”, he growled, “you have five minutes to get upstairs and into that costume. Then I am gonna come up and mount a darn sight more than a last crusade.”

Dean was already gone.


	5. D is for Death-Star

Saturday 3rd December

The first weekend in December was always assigned by Dean to a thorough house-cleaning on Saturday followed by the official getting out of the decorations on Sunday. He was not anal about keeping things clean, whatever a certain long-haired moose said!

He was not, dammit!

As well as the ongoing Pie Situation, Cas usually relaxed his generally strict rules about Dean's diet on weekends, although Dean reckoned that was more than fair as he would surely be burning off any excess calories. Most times Cas was home but today he was out; there was some event on down at the college, and Missouri Moseley had told his that attendance was 'advisable'. Which from her meant 'or else'!

Dean got the decorations down from the roof first – that always dragged a shit-ton of dust into the corridor below the loft-hatch – and put them all in the garage before returning to wage war against the dirt that was constantly trying to sneak into his and Cas' home.

His and Cas' home. He smiled at that thought before setting to with a vengeance.

+~+~+

By the time Cas arrived home with some shopping and a bag of pastries from Dean's favorite bakery, his husband was exhausted. He had stopped only to do a quick burger lunch, and was more than ready for the stuffed crust pizza that Cas told him he had ordered before leaving the college, and would be here any minute. And sure enough, the professor had barely gotten his shoes off before there was a knock at the door and their pizzas were here, meat feast for Dean and Hawaiian for Cas (Dean secretly suspected Cas only chose that because he knew his husband hated fruit on pizza, and wouldn't steal any). 

Half an hour later Dean was full and getting sleepy. But he perked up when Cas got out the two presents for the day. The small bracelet-bead had a 'D' on one side and... was that a bath-tub on the other?

“You bought me a new bathroom, Cas?” he grinned. His husband shook his head.

“But I am gonna give you a massage whilst you take a long soak”, he said with a smile. “If you go upstairs and get undressed, I'll run the bath for you. And your real present will be waiting for you there.”

Dean nodded gratefully, then winced as he stood up a shade too fast. Damn aching muscles! He walked carefully upstairs, and this time remembered to don his dressing-gown before coming back down (fortunately it had only been Sammy who had gotten an eyeful last time, the moose running back to his car screaming about brain-bleach, much to Jess' amusement). By the time he reached the bathroom Cas did indeed have the bath ready, and there was a delicious if familiar smell in the room. Surely not....

“Apple-pie scented bath bombs”, Cas grinned. “You get your slice of real pie, with custard, while I massage you.”

There was the present by the bath, which Dean duly unwrapped, then grinned. Inside was a collection of bath toys, all with Star Wars themes. He picked up a Death-Star and dropped it into the steaming water.

“I. Am. Your. Father!” he growled.

“And you have the nerve to call me the nerd!” Cas grinned. “Get in.”

Dean accepted a kiss from his husband, hung up his gown and stepped slowly into the hot water, toeing the Death Star out of his way. This was the life!

+~+~+

The (real) pie was great, and Cas' massage was even better. Somewhere on the line Dean must have dozed off, because he didn't even remember Cas getting him out of the tub, drying him off and helping him upstairs to bed. He only had a sort of hazy memory that this sort of happiness... well, he supposed he could get used to it. If he had to.


	6. E is for Encore

Sunday 4th December

It was the Official Unboxing Of The Christmas Decorations Day™, or as his boring husband called it, the first Sunday in December. Dean loved spending a whole morning unpacking all the stuff he had acquired over the years, especially the ones that evoked memories of Cas (who very wisely was standing well back and letting his husband get on with it). Cas was not allowed near the decorations after that Christmas where Dean had awoken to find his man standing astride him on their bed, wearing only a piece of tinsel. He had nearly had a seizure, but the resultant sex had definitely been worth it.

It just mean that he could never look at tinsel in quite the same away ever again! It had been fun telling Sammy about it, especially when Jess had complained that Dean really should've taken a picture. But as he said, what was left of his mind was on other things at the time....

Dean wondered what his husband had lined up for him today, but Cas kept himself to the kitchen making a delicious Sunday lunch, and his husband soon lost himself in their decorations and the happy memories that came with them. Cas insisted that they eat at the table and, as there was pie, Dean caved, but his wonderful husband then made up for it by saying he would wash up so that Dean could get back to his boxes. That earned him a long kiss.

Dean had everything almost done by late afternoon when he saw a car pulling up outside, and Gabriel and Chuck getting out. Cas' brother had a large box that was not far short of his own height in size, and Dean did not drool at the sight of it. He just needed to wipe his mouth, that was all.

“Bracelet first”, Chuck grinned looking around at the mess of decorations. He handed Dean a small wrapped package which the taller man opened, to find the 'E' bracelet bead and, on the back of it, what looked like a guitar.

Gabriel handed him the box, and Dean opened it carefully (you never knew with Gabriel, though Dean was fairly sure that if he sustained any injuries in the next few minutes, Cas would make his brother regret it). Inside was a shit-ton of those awful foam things used for padding, so he didn't dare upend the box to get at the contents. Instead he reached in and felt around until his hand touched something that felt like....

Oh hell no!

His eyes widened as he grabbed hold of and extracted an acoustic guitar. A startlingly bright red acoustic guitar that he had seen somewhere before.

“It can't be!” he muttered, awestruck.

“Told you he'd like it”, Cas said smugly.

“As used by ACDC”, Gabriel grinned, “and if you check on the back, you'll find they've all signed it.”

“But how?” Dean asked, amazed. “And why?”

“Kali, my girlfriend, worked with them as a roadie one time”, Gabriel said. “You know how rich her family is; when she heard that they were planning to sell the thing for charity, she offered to buy it as our present for you.”

“We'll be going before you start terrorizing the neighbors”, Chuck grinned. “Bye!”

Dean thanked them, then turned to Cas.

“So what was why you wanted to soundproof the back room”, he said, amazed. “Not for your piano at all.”

“As I said, you deserve good things”, Cas said. “But I'm sure you want to get back to your decorations....”

He was alone in the room. his husband and the guitar both gone. Cas smiled, and reached for the pair of quality ear-muffs he had, by a lucky coincidence, recently purchased.


	7. F is for Fetish

Monday 5th December

It was lucky for everyone, really, that his workmates knew Dean Winchester so well. Hence his arrival at work that morning with a slightly glazed look told everyone that whatever the reason, they really, really, really did not want to know!

Dean had gotten his bracelet-bead – an 'F' on one side, and a fuzzy heart on the other – and his present at the breakfast table that morning. And now he was working away at Bobby's as usual. Except that beneath his comfortable overalls, he had a leather cross-strap that had two metal rings, one in the center of his chest where the four bands met and the other... well, put it this way; he had to be damn careful when using the bathroom. And that metal was bloody cold against certain parts of the human anatomy.

F, apparently, was for Fetish.

It wasn't like he and Cas never indulged some of Dean's less orthodox sexual fantasies. Indeed, the guy seemed to take pleasure in periodically surprising Dean, though it usually happened on a Friday evening or Saturday, so that the taller man had time to recover. After the last one Dean's careful movements at work had made his horndog co-workers snigger even more than usual, the bastards! But dammit, did Cas have to have set it up so two of the straps kept brushing Dean's nipples? He knew damn well how sensitive they were.

Oh, yeah. He knew. Duh!

If that hadn't have been bad enough, the cross-strap was one of a pair, and Cas had worn the other one to college. And the sexy bastard kept sending Dean texts that included teasing pictures that.... well, that lower ring had better have been damn strong, because Dean was hard almost all day. It was the worst sort of sexual denial, and he couldn't wait till they tried it again.

Though Bobby knew better than most not to ask for details, he clearly tired of Dean's less than perfect (as in almost non-existent) attention and sent him home an hour early which, with Cas' timetable, meant that Dean might actually get home first. But nope, the pimpmobile was in the garage, and there was a post-it on its roof. Dean peeled it off and read it.

'Upstairs, wearing only the leather. What are you waiting for?'

Some day, Dean thought as he gracelessly fell over his feet and struggled with the recalcitrant door-handle, Cas was gonna kill him through sex. But hopefully not today!


	8. G is for Gun

Tuesday 6th December

Anyone who frequented the Roadhouse knew that upsetting the wait staff could end in one of two ways. If you were lucky, Ellen Harvelle would show you the door. If you were unlucky, her daughter would show you her knife collection. Close-up.

To Dean, of course, the place was a second home, so he thought nothing of the text he got from Cas saying that he had had to take an extra lecture today, and they should meet up at the old joint for dinner. Sam had teased him once that Dean's fondness for the Roadhouse Megaburger would lead to an expanding waistline, but Cas had calmly assured him that he made sure Dean always worked off any extra pounds. Unfortunately the moose had had to leave (fast) before Cas had gotten into any detail about those work-outs....

His husband was so bad!

+~+~+

One of the wonders of Cas was that he could wear that god-awful trench-coat, starched shirt and blue tie, yet one look and Dean wanted to ravish him on the table. But no. Burgers first, and then perhaps if he was good they might have some fun in Baby on the way home.

Jo duly brought their burgers, but then surprised Dean by sitting down opposite him. She looked nervous, which was odd for her, and slid a couple of presents across the table to him.

Oh yeah. That. Dean grinned, and opened the smaller present. It contained the G-bracelet bead, with what looked like a gun on the back of it. Of course.

Then he opened the other box. It was somewhat bigger, flat, and contained what looked like an old-style metal sign with 'Best (Adopted) Big Brother Ever!' on it.

He was about to blush when it struck him. He looked closer at the medal, which had a strange, reddish tint.

“Is that.....” he began.

“My first gun”, she said softly. 

Dean's heart dropped. He remembered the first gun that Ellen had given to her daughter, and how much Jo had treasured it. Right up to when someone had broken into her room at the Roadhouse and stolen it.

“Thought you lost it”, he said.

“I found it outside the next day”, she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Guy that took it was knocked over in the car park drunk, remember? He must've dropped it but something heavy had run over it, so I just kept the bits. I could only recognize it from the red band along one side. So when Cas said we should all do something special for you – well, I remembered it.”

It slowly dawned on Dean just why they were not at their usual table, but secreted in a dark corner of the place. Even so, someone in the area had to be having the fried onion rings, because they were making his eyes water.

“Thanks, Jo”, he muttered. “You're the best annoying adopted kid sister ever, too.”

She cuffed him, smiled and left them. Cas took Dean's hand, and passed him a tissue. Damn onion rings!


	9. H is for Hyundai

Wednesday 7th December

Dean had long given up trying to predict what Cas had in store for him. He just went with it, and enjoyed letting his husband make all the decisions. Which did not mean he was whipped, whatever a certain long-haired moose might say!

“So what's 'H' for?” Dean asked as he sat at the breakfast table. 

“It's indirectly for something you've always wanted not to have”, Cas said mysteriously, placing a small single present in front of Dean's place-setting. His husband was a bit surprised there was no bigger present to accompany it, but he opened it with gusto, finding the 'H' bracelet bead and on the back....

“A car?” he asked dubiously. “You know I can't cheat on Baby.”

“I'm not asking you to”, Cas said gently, slightly stressing the 'you'. “I was thinking more me.”

“Huh?”

Cas sighed.

“I know how uneasy you feel about me driving the Hyundai – the 'pimpmobile', as you call it”, he said. “And let's be honest, it's getting old. It's needed your help to keep it on the road twice this past year. So I'm gonna put myself in your hands when it comes to choosing a new car.”

Dean felt his lower lip quivering. Yeah, he was worried more than he ever admitted about Cas driving that pile of crap, especially when his husband was out in a strong wind. But the pi.... the Hyundai had been Cas' first car – well, the first one he had bought with his own money – and Dean knew he was attached to it. And now he was prepared to finally ditch it. For Dean.

“You can choose me something that will be safer and better for me”, Cas said with a smile, “and we can do all our major trips in Baby. Though I know you'll be sorry to miss riding shotgun with me driving.”

Dean opened his mouth to scoff at that idea, but bit back his comment just in time. Although Cas' smile suggested that he had seen it.

“Thanks, Cas”, he said. “It'll definitely make me feel happier, knowing you're out and about in something sturdier than the.... than your old car.”

“Good save!” Cas grinned. 

+~+~+

Dean spent much of the day in a daze, unable to believe that Cas would be prepared to give up his old car like that. Several times he texted his husband, offering to keep it on the road, but Cas was adamant. Besides, he texted back, a new car would have to be appropriately christened.

And now Dean was dazed and hard! Dammit!


	10. I is for Ipod.

Thursday 8th December

Dean stared down at the crispy bacon on his burger. Cas had gotten up early – being named for the Angel of Thursday, this was the one day of the week he did not become a complete grump monster of a morning – and made him breakfast. Not the sort of healthy crap he usually insisted on, but a bacon burger. And there was a slice of pie under the cover, waiting to be re-heated for him.

Of course Cas knew that his husband was about to make a total ass of himself by blubbering all over the breakfast table, because just as Dean felt the horribly familiar prickling sensation behind his eyes, Cas took his hand.

“Because you are worth it”, he said gently. “Now eat up. Claire is dropping in on her way into school, with your next present; she won't be able to stay long as Jimmy is bringing her, and I promised I would give her a lift so he wouldn't have to wait.”

Dean sniffed. Manfully, of course.

+~+~+

Claire Novak took after her Uncle Cas in being most definitely not a morning person, but she looked relatively awake as she placed two presents in front of her Uncle Dean. He smiled at her and opened the smaller one, revealing the now inevitable bracelet-bead which had an 'I' on one side and..... was that a rock on the other?

“You bought me a rock?” Dean asked, curious. She giggled.

“Silly Uncle Dean!” she said. “Not exactly.”

He opened the other package, and stared at the contents with something approaching horror. It was one of those Ipod things. Not that Dean was technologically illiterate, but..... yeah, he was.

“I wrote you out a full set of instructions”, his niece said, handing over a set of notes, “and it's ready to go.”

“Just need to spend a few weeks getting all my great taste in music onto it”, Dean said. “And the pair of you can shut up right now!”

The two smart-arses in the room simultaneously made zipping motions across their mouths. Dean scowled at them both.

“Actually you don't have to”, Claire said. “Your entire music collection, even that ghastly 'rock music' you like for some godforsaken reason, is all on it.”

“Huh?” Dean stared in confusion.

“When you had to go to Kansas City last month”, Cas said, “I spent the weekend downloading digital versions of your entire record collection. Then I gave them to Claire on a pen drive, and she put them all on the Ipod. And best of all, it comes with earplugs!”

Dean was torn between glaring at him and kissing him.

“I love you both to death”, he muttered. “Just need to educate you both when it comes to the classics.”

Damn Novaks really did have bad coughs at times.


	11. J is for Jumpers

Friday 9th December

Castiel got to go home early in the three Fridays leading up to Christmas, as he was owed a favor for covering for another professor the month previous. So Dean was not surprised to find the little scruff waiting for him when he got home that evening. What did surprise him, though, was the size of his present for that day, with the smaller bracelet bead on top of it.

“You have that awful Christmas jumper on”, Dean grinned as he unwrapped the day's bracelet bead. There was the 'J on one side, and on the other – was that a jumper?

“I wondered if you'd remember it”, Cas said. His jumper was truly hideous (though sadly far from the worst in his expansive collection); dancing reindeer interspersed with Christmas elves. It even had a glowing red nose on the middle reindeer. Dean stared at him for a moment, then it came back to him.

“Oh”, he said softly. Cas smiled.

“The first present you ever bought me”, he beamed. “So I decided to buy you some Christmas jumpers of your own.”

Dean stared in a mixture of horror and dread at the larger box. It looked like there could be up to ten of the things in there. And Cas would expect him to not only wear them, but actually wear them out in public. Where people could see him. He tried to fake a smile, and his husband almost fell to the floor with laughter.

“Open them, Dean”, he chuckled. “They're not that bad.”

Not praying for a sudden meteorite to strike him down, Dean unwrapped the huge box and lifted the lid. Then he just stared. The top jumper was a rebel fighter close up, and beneath it was a quote from the film; 'Stay On Target!'. He smiled.

“Oh Cas!” he said, pulling out the jumper and looking at it in awe. 

There were more jumpers beneath it, each with a scene from the film and, when he turned one round, he found that each had the the same quote in scrolling writing down the back:  
'Never tell me the odds!'  
'You do have your moments. Not many, but you have them.'  
'Would somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?'  
'It’s not fair! They promised me they fixed it! It’s not my fault!'  
'Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder.'  
'You’ll find I’m full of surprises!'  
'Told you I did. Reckless is he. Now, matters are worse.'

The last jumper was Han and Luke together, the former pointing to the latter. Except the faces had been changed to Dean and Cas:  
'He’s the brains, sweetheart!'

“Han said that to Leia about Luke”, Dean reminisced before he got it. “Hey, wait a minute....”

He was alone in the room. Damn snarky husband. Dean was so gonna make him pay for that!

Right after he'd tried on all the jumpers.


	12. K is for Ken

Saturday 10th December

It was not that Cas did not trust his husband to go shopping on his own....

Alright, it was. Even with a shopping-list Dean was utterly hopeless, often coming home with few if any of the items he had been sent out for. Cas found it infinitely easier to go shopping himself, or to drag Dean along if necessary. Not that Dean behaved like a sulky man-child who was being dragged unwillingly around the shops.....

Alright, he did. But Cas had a reason for taking Dean with him today, as they were to make a call to collect his next present. And if that had Dean's knee bouncing slightly in anticipation, then that was okay. Cas planned a long, hard afternoon that would work off all that excess energy.

Dean was surprised when they pulled into the local medical center.

“I've not gotten you pregnant?” he quipped. Cas cuffed him, earning an indignant yelp.

“Today's present comes from someone in here”, he said. Dean went pale.

“Not....”

“Oh yeah. And no running away this time!”

Dean did not whine. No matter what it sounded like.

+~+~+

Dean was not afraid of Doctor Pamela Barnes per se. He just preferred to hide behind his husband whilst she gave him that leering look that said she was undressing him in her mind and liking what she saw. 

“My favorite patients”, she grinned. “I'm running behind as usual, but I've got Eddie to cover my next patient so I could give you this.”

She handed two presents over to Dean, who took them nervously. The smaller one was the 'K' bracelet-bead, which had on its reverse something that looked like a small figure of a man. She grinned at his confusion as he opened the bigger box. This contained two shoe-box sized packages inside, and Dean pulled one of them out to examine it. 

Then he gulped. It was a Ken-doll of he himself, dressed in the same plaid shirt and leather jacket he was currently wearing. And doll Dean had the same sort of knowing if not predatory smirk that he knew he himself often wore. He blushed.

“Anatomically correct, before you ask”, the doctor grinned. “Well? Aren't you going to look at the other one?”

Very nervously now, Dean extracted the second smaller box. This too was a Ken-doll – but this time it was Cas, with his favorite trench-coat, suit and blue tie. And the sort of adoring look on his face that gave Dean butterflies whenever he saw it.

“Thanks, Pam”, he muttered, blushing.

“Bet you can have fun role-playing with your dolls all weekend!” she teased. “I'd better head back to my patients now. Byee!”

Naturally she managed to goose Dean on the way out.


	13. L is for LARPing

Sunday 11th December

Dean awoke most unusually to a Cas-less bed, and frowned before he heard his husband in their bathroom. And his present – well, the small one – was wrapped and ready by his bedside, with a card stating 'Unwrap Me Now' behind it. Dean did as he was told, and opened it to reveal the 'L bracelet-bead and – a cross?

He noticed that there was an arrow on the card pointing to the back of it, so he turned it round. Written there was 'you wished for this, so look across to the dresser'. Scrambling to put his glasses on – his sight was never brilliant first thing in the morning – he stared across the room. The Cas doll he had been given yesterday was perched on the dresser, wearing.....

Holy fuck!

There was a pointed cough from behind him, then Cas hoved into view. He was wearing the same outfit as his doll, a lab-coat, cowboy boots and.... nothing else! Dean was gonna die!

“I said we might do some Doctor Sexy M.D. role play some time”, Cas grinned. “Guess what, Dean? Today is that time.”

“Mwah?”

“Now”, Cas grinned, “I seem to recall that someone came in today for a prostate examination. Present please, Mr. Winchester, I have just the tool 'to hand'!”

He was already palming an impressive erection. This guy was gonna end him, Dean thought as he scrambled into position. No doubt about it.

+~+~+

Some rather large amount of time later, what little remained of Dean Winchester was lying on the bed, recovering from his great trek to the bathroom. He scowled at his husband, who was fully dressed now.

“Not going to church”, Dean said mulishly. “Got too many sins to confess. Go next week.”

Sentences. He was quite proud of still being able to manage those Cas grinned.

“Of course we are not going to church, Dean”, Cas said, looking surprised. “I would not expect that of you.”

“Damn right!”

“Now get up. We have to be at Bobby's place in half an hour.”

Dean paled.

“What?” he squeaked (it was a manly squeak, if one stretched the definition of 'manly' somewhat). 

“Sunday dinner”, Cas smiled. “Did you forget?”

“I can't go like this!” Dean pleaded. “You know Ellen. She'll know immediately what we've been up to.”

“And Jo will smirk endlessly, and Bobby will call you an idjit”, Cas smiled. “That's what family is for, Dean.”

Dean moaned, but tried to get up. 

+~+~+

Ellen did give him a knowing look. Jo did smirk. And Bobby did call him an idjit. Worse, there was a cushion waiting for him at his place at the table. He would have complained, but he was kinda grateful, even if everyone watched him as he sat down very, very slowly. Bastards, the lot of them!

He would be demanding a second examination from Cas later to make up for it!


	14. M is for Memories

Monday 12th December

There were few things in the world that could scare big, bad Dean Winchester. But his husband looking uncertainly at him across the dining-table was one of them. And what was with the box of tissues in the middle of the table? It wasn't as if Dean Winchester ever cried.

Irritating side-effect of being with Cas; Dean's conscience had learned how to snigger. And to roll around his mind clutching at its non-existent sides.

“Before you open today's present”, his husband said carefully, “I want you to promise not to be too upset with me.”

“I could never be upset with you, Cas”, Dean reassured him. “Besides, you would just use sex to get round me. I'm, uh, always 'open' to that!”

Cas rolled his eyes but passed over the two presents. The small one duly contained the 'M' bracelet-bead, so no surprise there, although the symbol on the back of it was odd. A saucepan?

The other present was very obviously a pair of books, and Dean opened it carefully. The first was titled 'Mary Winchester's Recipes'. He opened it – and swallowed hard. There may or may not have been a very small lip quiver.

Cas gently pushed the box of tissues towards him, and Dean instinctively took one as he read the book. This was no ordinary recipe book. These could only have come from one place.

“I was very careful”, Cas promised him. “That weekend you went up to Kansas City, I took them all to the library and photocopied them, then gave the copies to Adam when he came over at the start of last month. He knows someone who makes books from scratch about anything, and he's only sorry he can't be here because Alice is expecting. Oh, and your originals are safely in the draw where you keep them.”

Yeah, the originals. The recipes of his late mother, which Dean kept but rarely used, because they brought back too many memories. Half of them were falling apart by now, as Dean often took them out just to look at his mother's writing before quietly slipping them away again. He wiped away a tear, and opened the second book, which was titled 'Dean Winchester's Recipes'.

It was empty.

“Huh?” he said. 

“I thought you could put some of your own recipes in there, and make something we can keep”, he said. “A family recipe book, to go with the first one.”

He was round the table and hugging his husband almost before Dean wailed his thanks, hugging the taller man to his chest. 

“Thank you!” Dean sobbed. “Thank you so much!”

“You're welcome”, Cas told him. “And because I hope one day you might use some of those recipes for us, I asked Sam and Jess to bake an apple pie from them.”

His husband smiled at that. Cas was many things, none of which was anywhere near a decent cook (Dean often quipped that for him, the smoke alarm functioned as an unofficial timer), and that he had gone and.....

A plate of steaming apple pie and custard appeared in front of him, along with another tissue. God, how had Dean gotten so lucky?


	15. N is for Nile

Tuesday 13th December

One of the many great things about Cas was that he never judged Dean for his idiosyncrasies (hell, he had even taught Dean what that word meant!), no matter how strange they were. But today, his husband had surpassed himself.

Dean's two presents were waiting for him when he got home, although Cas insisted that he have dinner first. Then again, as it was burgers followed by pie, this was hardly a sacrifice.

The bracelet-bead had an 'N' on one side and – well, Dean was not sure what to make of the long wiggly line on the back. It looked like a 'Y' that had had an electric shock while trying to stand upside-down.

“It is a drawing of the River Nile”, Cas grinned. Dean was at once on the defensive.

“Dean, King of De-Nile, right?” he quipped.

“Not exactly”, Cas said. 

He passed Dean the second present, which was not only quite large but also pretty heavy. Dean opened it to find one large box folding around four smaller ones, so he opened one of the smaller ones and stared. He had seen the price of these on the Net one time, and had had to check to see they hadn't added a zero somewhere.

“Cas”, he said, awe-struck, “we can't afford these.”

He reached out a complete set of sheets. Not just any sheets, but the very finest Egyptian cotton. It was one of Dean's weirder quirks that he loved quality bedding, and this had to be up there with the very best. And there were four sets of the things!

“We can”, Cas said with a smile. “Remember my bonus for teaching that course at summer-school? Well, this is for both of us, as I'm sure I'll be getting as much use out of them as you will.”

“But....” Dean objected weakly.

“Besides”, Cas interrupted him, “if we go up and put the first set on now, then we can, well, 'christen' them tonight.”

Dammit, Dean was not gonna cry twice in two days. Manly men did not do that.

“And you might want to check out box four”, Cas said with a mischievous smile. “I didn't think I was gonna be able to manage it, but they actually do sell sheets in plaid.”

Dean just had to kiss him. It was a long time before they got round to remaking the bed.


	16. O is for Outdoors(ish)

Wednesday 14th December

It had been a busy morning at the garage, so Dean was not surprised when Jo turned up just before lunch. Though she usually helped out at the Roadhouse, she was a very effective grease-monkey when the need arose.

Dean was surprised, however, when she arrived with his husband.

“I've rearranged my schedule so I have this afternoon off instead of tomorrow”, Cas explained. “We are going out for lunch.”

“Pizza?” Dean asked at once, ignoring the eye-rolls from his fellow workers. Honestly, it was as if he always.... not the point, anyway.

Cas tutted at him.

“Something unusual”, he said with a wicked grin.

“Just make sure he's functional for work tomorrow”, Bobby grunted as he headed back into his office. 

Dean did not bounce at his husband's heels like an excited puppy all the way out to his car, though judging from the grins of his co-workers, he may have looked a little eager.

+~+~+

Cas directed him the short distance to the Roadhouse, and told him to wait while he fetched something. He left Dean with the bracelet-bead for the day which, when he unwrapped it, revealed an 'O' on one side and... a box on the other?

Cas emerged a couple of minutes later with one of the take-out boxes that smelled deliciously of apple-pie. Dean's mouth watered.

“Part one of Ellen's present”, Cas explained. “She and Jo have been setting up part two back at the house.”

Dean was intrigued, but managed to keep to the speed limits (sorta), and they were soon back home. He followed Cas into their front room – and stopped dead.

The furniture had been pushed back and the floor was dominated by a picnic set, complete with that red-and-white checkered cloths and – well, everything. Dean's mouth watered.

His thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell.

“Ah”, Cas said. “That will be the pizza. Take a seat.”

Dean made himself comfortable, and soon Cas was back with several large boxes. Dean smiled at him through teary eyes,.

“You remembered”, he managed.

“That you said you always wanted a picnic set, so we could enjoy the great outdoors properly?” Cas said. “This is Ellen's present to you, this and the pie. Unfortunately it's December, but a roaring fire, pizza and pie may help make up for that.”

“I love you”, Dean sniffed. “I love you so damn much!”

“And I promise to always strive to remain worthy of that love”, Cas said. “Now, meat feast or Hawaiian?”

Dean stared at him disapprovingly. Cas chuckled.


	17. P is for Panties

Thursday 15th December

Dean stared at the contents of the larger present that he had just opened with a mixture of incredulity and lust. Okay, so the 'P' bracelet-bead had been a bit of a clue given the shape on the back of it, but this? This was sheer indulgence taken too far.

“Yes”, Cas said softly, “you do deserve good things, Dean Winchester. And this is solely between the two of us. No-one else need ever know.”

That was a bit of a relief, Dean supposed, though the mountain of colored lace before him – there had to be twelve pairs in there at least – was overwhelming. He stared through a haze of tears and lust at his wonderful husband.

“Ah ah ah”, Cas smiled, shaking his head. “We both know that anticipation is half the fun.”

“But Caaaas!...” Dean not-whined.

“Besides”, his husband grinned, “think how wonderful it will be for you to come home today wearing one of them and then fuck me into the mattress.”

Somehow his words penetrated Dean's befuddled brain.

“Come.... home.... wearing?” he stuttered. “You.... don't mean....”

“Oh yeah”, Cas grinned. “Pick any pair out, and you have to wear them all day. That soft lace rubbing against your skin, against one part of your skin in particular....”

Dean moaned.

“And I'd better be getting off to the college”, Cas said. “Oh, and Dean?”

“Mwah?”

Cas stopped at the door and grinned at him – then deliberately lowered his belt to give his husband a brief flash of lace before racing for the car. Dean just cried. His husband was way faster than him, and he would never catch him.

+~+~+

Dean had a long, hard day (in both senses), not helped by frequent texts from his teasing bastard husband who somehow found the time to keep sending pictures of him at work, always with just a flash of lace. Though when he sent one of him in his own panties lying on their bed at home, Dean had to step out the back for 'a moment'. That earned him an eye-roll from Bobby and sniggers from his soon-to-be-ex-friends, who knew how whipped he was. Well, tonight, he would be the one who....

Back outside again.

+~+~+

He more than made up for it when he got home, though. And when his body finally gave out he condescended to let Cas wrap him in a warm embrace that in no way, shape or form resembled cuddling. Because Dean was a considerate husband like that.

Shut up!


	18. Q is for Queen

Friday 16th December

Dean stared curiously at the hammer and nails that Cas had left out in the kitchen. His husband was not as tidy-minded ('no Sammy, I am not anal about it so shut the fuck up!') as Dean could sometimes be, and such a thing seemed out of place.

“We shall need them later”, Cas said, setting two presents in front of his husband. “Today's gift is from Ash; as you know he's been seconded to work with Charlie on a government 'thing' all week, and won't be back in town until Sunday evening. But he left this for you, and said that he hoped you'd like it.”

Dean smiled. Cas doing air-quotes would never get old. He opened the smaller present to reveal the 'Q' bracelet-bead and what looked like a crown on the reverse.

“I'm gonna be king for the day?” he hazarded. Cas grinned.

“Quite the opposite”, he said. “Go on, open it.”

The second present was large and flat, and came in a very thick box that, Dean quickly discovered, contained a shit-ton of those ghastly curly white things that acted as padding. Inside was something that felt like a framed picture, except that it was unusually heavy. He carefully lifted it out of the box – and swallowed hard.

“Do you like it?” Cas asked softly. “I hope we got it right. Ash said that you spoke of this one in particular.”

It was a framed copy of Queen's 'News of the World' album. An original disc, and around the edge the signatures of all the band members. Dean swallowed again.

“How?” he croaked. “I mean, this must cost a fortune!”

“Ash did a favor for someone who works on the road crew”, Cas explained, “and in return asked if they would sign a regular album if they got one. The band asked who it was for, so he showed them that picture of the charity walk you did for the children's home that time. They paid to have it framed and all.”

He passed Dean a tissue, and his husband blew his nose loudly on it.

“I just.....”

“Just you dare use the words 'don't' and 'deserve' in your next sentence, Dean Winchester!” Cas said hotly. “Good things do happen, and you above all deserve them all. I have to tell you, when I suggested the overall idea to your friends, they could not wait to contribute towards it. You are loved and you are cherished, and you are mine.”

He helped his husband lower the framed disc to the table, then wrapped his arms around him and hugged him, lightly kissing the top of his head. It was taking a whole lot of effort, but he would make Dean feel as valued as he really was. He would.


	19. R is for Residence

Saturday 17th December

Dean hadn't had anything special planned for this weekend, so he was a bit surprised to wake and find himself in a Cas-less bed on a non-Thursday. His husband and mornings usually went together like paprika and pie. 

Cas came back into the room, wheeling that awful yellow suitcase on wheels with the pink straps (he claimed it made the thing easier to spot at airports; Dean secretly suspected it was a theft deterrent as no-one in their right mind would want to be seen with something so absolutely horribly tacky!). 

“Wassup?” he said sleepily.

“We have a bit of a drive to get to today's surprise”, Cas said. “Nearly eight hours. Of course we could fly there in less than a quarter of that time....”

“No!” Dean said mulishly. “Planes crash. Established fact.”

He burrowed under the blankets in case Cas persisted, but his husband just went across and opened the squeaky drawer.

“Where we going?” Dean asked.

“That's a surprise”, his husband said. “But somewhere we've been before.”

+~+~+

Having rushed Dean out to the Impala, Cas had to hurry back into the house because he'd forgotten something or other. He smiled at Dean as he got back to the car.

“Would you like me to drive?” he asked sweetly.

Dean just glared at him.

Cas directed them down 70, and eventually south on 35. They stopped for a slightly late lunch at a Waffle House just north of Oklahoma City, which Dean guessed meant they might be headed for Dallas. But a few miles further on Cas turned him west onto 40, which for an eight-hour trip had to mean that they must be headed to....

Dean gulped.

+~+~+

Dean was unusually silent as they pulled into the car park of the Residence Inn in Amarillo, and stayed so as Cas led him to the check-in desk. Sure enough, the little guy had reserved room 111, and Dean followed him there. The only thing different from last time was that the metal number on the door had been replaced by a brass one, slightly different from the ones on nearby doors. Inside, Cas handed him two small presents. Still silent, Dean opened the 'R' bracelet-bead, which had '111' on the back. The other package was not much bigger, and felt a little heavy. 

He opened it – and burst into tears.

“You overcame your fear of planes that time when you couldn't drive with your broken arm, and I had to drive here for a teacher's conference”, Cas said softly, fingering the number plaque in Dean's hands. A plaque that already had more than one tear on it from the man holding it. “Just because you didn't want to be away from me for another night. 'R' is for Residence, Dean. I paid for a new door number, and that is the one that will always remind us both of your love and loyalty.”

Dean sobbed into his husband's shirt. He loved this man so much. Cas just held him and smiled.

Though he did wonder just how Dean would react to the other little surprise that he had arranged for him back in Lawrence....


	20. S is for Shedding

Sunday 18th December

Waking up with his husband in his arms, just like last time. Going a short distance to the Waffle House for breakfast, just like last time, Returning to their room and their bed, and..... yup, just like last time. Dean still had it in him. Yee-hie!

He let Cas drive for a bit, though. Because he was such a considerate husband.

And now his conscience had developed smirking, dammit!

+~+~+

The journey back was uneventful until they reached Wichita, where Cas turned left rather than keeping straight on. Dean looked at him in surprise.

“No Waffle House here?” he asked, a little disappointed. He'd been hungry for well over an hour now, but Cas had wanted to have a late lunch for some reason.

“I'm pretty sure you're not gonna die of hunger just yet!” his husband teased.

They continued along the city road until Cas turned off west. But they only went a short distance before he was maneuvering through a complex set of junctions and into a set of shops including....

“Golden Corral!” Dean yelped. 

“Only the best for my beloved”, Cas smiled as he brought the Impala to a rest. “All you can eat?”

“Hell yeah!”

+~+~+

Dean's plans to drive the rest of the way home had to be somewhat curtailed (as in canceled), and he spent the rest of the journey curled up on the back seat, sleeping off a food coma. So he did notice his husband sending a quiet text at a rest stop, or the satisfied smile at the response he got.

+~+~+

They were finally home and Dean was ready to bounce – well, walk – into the house when Cas stopped him.

“Time for today's surprise”, he said, handing Dean a small present that was obviously the bracelet-bead. Dean opened it to reveal an 'S' on one side and what looked like a house on the other.

“You buying me a house?” he chuckled.

“Not exactly”, Cas said. “I couldn't wrap today's present; you'll know why when you see it. This way.”

He led Dean around the back of the garage – and his husband stopped dead. Where yesterday there had been a muddy patch in a corner of the garden, now there was a full-sized shed. A decent-sized one too.

“Sam, Benny and the guys built it while we were gone”, Cas explained. “Your very own man-cave, with room for all the tools you had to fit into the garage. Do you like it?”

“I love it!” Dean smiled, trying not to tear up again. He was gonna have to hand in his man card at this rate. “Thank you so much, Cas.”

“I was just the decoy”, he smiled. “Now, assuming that food has settled how about some hot, hard sex to christen it?”

Dean's lip quivered, until Cas broke down in a fit of laughter.

“Maybe tomorrow”, he conceded.

Best. Husband. Ever!


	21. T is for Television

Monday 19th December

Dean's new shed (or 'man cave' as Cas called it) was glorious. Indeed, his only regret was that he had to work this week, although at least the garage was closing for Friday so he would have at least two days before Christmas to set the place up properly. Hell, the guys had even painted it with preservative and erected some sort of tent thing over it to keep off any rain.

He bought everyone at work pizza for their parts in it, and resolved to be extra nice to Sammy when he next saw him. Unless of course the moose started on again about Dean being whipped, in which case Dean would just remind him about who wore the trousers in his and Jess' household (her). 

+~+~+

Cain at the garage was allowed to leave a couple of hours early as he had been asked to fit something in someone's home, presumably some old fellow who need an electronics expert or at least someone who could fit a plug that wouldn't lead somewhere down the line to a house fire. Dean thought nothing of it until he passed Cain's purple car just as he was turning into his own street, which he thought a coincidence. 

Cas greeted him and said that dinner would be ready in half an hour, and he could go play in his man cave in the meantime. Dean did not bounce off like an eager puppy, and he did not even pout when Cas called him in far too soon after just forty minutes.

After a delicious dinner Cas handed over two presents, the main one not being much larger than the usual bracelet-bead. The bead had a 'T' on one side and a rectangle with rounded corners on the other. He looked at it in confusion.

“You have to go to our bedroom for it to make sense”, Cas explained.

“On a full stomach?” Dean said eagerly. Cas shook his head at him.

“This is only part of the present”, he said. “I suggest you open it outside the door, then come in.”

Cas led him up the stairs and went into the bedroom, while Dean unwrapped the larger present. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not a TV remote. He pushed the door open.

“I don;t get what.....”

He stopped. There, across the top of the mantle-piece above the fake fireplace was an absolutely huge plasma TV screen. Just what he had always wanted.

“Cain's set our old one up so it will work in your shed”, Cas explained. “I hope you like this one. Not that you'll be getting too much use out of it, of course.”

“Why not?” Dean asked. Then he realized that Cas, moving in that ninja way of his, was right in front of him.

“Because I have other ways of entertaining you in the bedroom, Dean Winchester!” he growled.

Somewhere, Dean's manliness was extending its Mexican holiday to eternity. Screw it; he was happy without it.


	22. U is for Uniform

Tuesday 20th December

Cas, being the wonderful husband he was, had somehow found the time to bake Lord alone knew how many cookies the day before. Unfortunately they were not all for Dean.

“There are seven large boxes of them”, Cas pointed out. “You could hardly eat them all.”

“I could try?” Dean said hopefully. Mean husband never let him have nice things!

Cas just Looked at him, and Dean remembered their early morning sex while Doctor Sexy M.D. played on his new TV. Oh yeah. That.

+~+~+

The cookies, it turned out, were for everyone at the garage, and a certain untrusting husband insisted on taking them there himself. It was almost as if he didn't trust Dean to....

“Remember the last batch?” Cas said as he joined Dean in the garage car-park. Dean suddenly found the ground fascinating. 

He was still blushing as they went inside. Unusually Bobby was out of his office, and everyone was gathered around seemingly waiting for them to arrive. Something was up.

“Got your new uniform, son”, Bobby said, handing a set over to Dean. He looked at them in confusion – his old overalls had been serviceable enough – and shook them out.

Then he went pale. On the back was a stylized 'W&S', and beneath it in block type was 'Winchester & Singer Garage'. 

“Always said the business would be part yours one day”, Bobby said shortly. “Today's the day.”

Dammit, Dean was not gonna cry in front of all these people. He was not. Probably.

“Did Cas bring the cookies?” Ash asked hopefully.

Thankfully that distracted everyone, and Bobby – who hated chick-flick moments even more than Dean – shook his adopted son's hand and retreated back into his room with his bag of cookies. Cas kissed his husband before hurrying off to work, although he found time later in the day to text him congratulations on becoming a small business owner.

Dean still tried to snaffle his colleague's cookies, but apparently being a small business owner didn't allow you to do that. And he had to stop when the bastards threatened to tell Cas on him. Dammit!


	23. V is for Valentine

Wednesday 21st December

It was a bit depressing that he only had five presents to go, but then the last few weeks – well, Dean Winchester had never felt so loved before in his entire life. So he opened the small present at the table that morning to find the 'V' bracelet-bead, and was a little perplexed to turn it over and see a small heart on the back. Cas pushed the second present, which was not much bigger, towards him with a knowing smile.

“Something every man should have”, he grinned. 

Dean opened the present very carefully, and was surprised to find a strong cardboard box with 'Cufflinks Box' on the outside. He never wore them except for special occasions, and hardly needed a box for the two pairs he had. He opened the box.

Oh fuck no!

“Remember?” Cas said softly. “Be my Valentine?”

Dammit, he was gonna have to go to work with a tear-stained face, he knew it. The cuff-links were obviously designer ones, square but with a red heart inside each one. But it was what was in the center of each heart that had Dean tearing up. A miniature Pop Tart.

It had been a February not long after Dean and Cas had first met. They were not dating at that time, and Cas was friends with a fellow student called Balthazar, whom Dean had badly wanted to kick. And when the lounge-lizard had called into the garage and boasted to Dean about the romantic evening he planned to woo Cas and..... well, more, Dean had wanted to kill him and bury his body out the back with the junkers. Instead he had begged Bobby to let him leave early, and rushed down to the store to try to find something romantic to give to his friend.

How he had ended up giving Cas twenty packets of Pop Tarts (including the store's entire stock of strawberry and raspberry flavors) – well, Lord alone knows, even if Cas did usually devour the things like there was no tomorrow. But he had accepted them, and then... then he had kissed Dean. And ever since then (to the utter amazement of his friends and family) Dean Winchester had always marked Valentine's Day with chocolates, flowers and, of course, Pop Tarts. 

“I love you so much”, he sniffed.

“Love you more”, Cas reassured him. “Now, what flavor Pop Tart would you like for breakfast?”

Despite himself, Dean laughed.


	24. W is for Weber

Thursday 22nd December

It was the last day at work before Christmas, and the garage was working flat out to clear all the outstanding jobs. Things weren't helped by the first snows having fallen the night before; white Christmases were all very well, Dean thought, but drivers seemed to have way too many accidents on the first snow day as they failed to adjust to something so totally unpredictable. Every year.

Dean had been hoping to slip off early today as he knew Cas was finishing at lunch-time, but unfortunately Benny had to go and do something for Andrea, so he had to stay put. At least the Cajun treated them all to pizza before he shot off, and Dean glared at his fellow workers when they asked if he had checked with Cas that he was allowed to have any. He was not as whipped as all that.

Alright, yes, he had checked. But only because.... oh who was he kidding, his manliness was pretty much shot anyway!

+~+~+

It was getting dark when Bobby finally closed up, and Dean enjoyed a leisurely ride home, singing gloriously out of tune to Kansas as Baby made light work of the slushy roads. Cas had said that dinner that evening would be 'different', but had refused to explain further, the tease. Maybe Dean would be allowed pizza twice in one day?

Ye gods, he was totally whipped! Oh well.

He pulled into the garage, and immediately saw a large notice that Cas must have placed on the rear wall. It read simply 'in the back garden'. Odd, he thought; why not simply text him? He locked the garage door and Baby, checked that she was all right (he'd come out later and wash off the dirt), then opened the back door and walked into the back garden.

And stopped dead. Oh hell!

The only thing that Dean had thought a bit off about his wonderful new shed was the large decking area that the guys had built next to it, which seemed kinda unnecessary. Now he knew why – because standing there gleaming black and shiny was a top-of-the-range Weber grill. Just what he had always wanted.

Cas stood there next to it, smiling.

“Benny came by and helped me get it all set up”, he said. “We have all the stuff you need; I promise that I haven't lit it or anything. You get to be the cook, Dean.”

“So that's the 'different' meal?” Dean managed at last. “Fuck, Cas. You gotta stop making me cry like this!”

“Stop making you know how valued you are?” Cas smiled. “Never!”

Dean realized something else.

“So that's the reason for the ramp”, he said. 

“Yes”, Cas said. “When we're done it can be wheeled into the garage for safety. Better get practicing. We're holding a Boxing Day Barbecue here, and you're doing all the cooking.”

“Hell, yeah!”


	25. X is for Xena

Friday 23rd December

Dean had been worried that his present for Cas – an out-of-print book on astronomy that he knew his husband had always wanted a copy of – might not arrive in time for the big day, but fortunately the small, out-of-the-way book store two towns over came through for him, and the owner, who lived in Lawrence, even dropped it off for him so Dean didn't have to drive out to get it. He was so grateful that he gave the guy a bag of Cas' cookies as a Christmas present. And he didn't even snaffle any out of the bag for himself first.

Okay, but only two (plus three).

Cas returned from his own shopping trip soon after, and told Dean it was time for his presents. The 'X' bracelet-bead had what looked like a bird of some sort on the back, and Dean wondered briefly if today's other present was fried chicken. Unfortunately it was not only too small but also cool. He opened it and stared in confusion, at least until Cas whispered something to him.

“Alastair.”

Oh come on, how the hell did Cas remember that? Way back, just after they had started dating, Cas had visited Dean while he was helping out behind the bar at the Roadhouse. The mechanic could remember it well, mainly because Cas had been wearing a T-shirt that was atrocious even by his standards; a duck in medieval costume with 'Xena, Warrior Duck' underneath it. And a similarly kitted-out rubber duck was what Dean now held in his hands.

Alastair Campbell had been one of the least liked of the Roadhouse's patrons, a Scot recently come to the States to settle who had made his own opinions on everything loud and clear to all those who couldn't run fast enough to avoid him. That particular evening he had been drunk (as per usual), and had leered at Cas when the guy had approached Dean at the bar, sneering that no-one in their right minds would want someone who really was as strange-looking as that. True, the glasses, trench-coat, weird top and tie did make Cas stand out, but there was no way anyone was talking about Dean Winchester's newly-acquired boyfriend with Dean Winchester close by.

Looking back, it had been quite impressive that he'd been able to vault the bar and floor the slimy bastard in one move. And when Alastair had taken out a knife and sneered at the two of them, Ellen had whipped out the gun she always kept behind the bar.

They didn't see him at the bar after that, and he left town within the week. Any celebratory party thrown at the Roadhouse around that time was entirely coincidental. And very long.

Looking back, Alastair hadn't been the only one to call Cas odd. Even Jo had described him (appropriately) as an odd duck, though with great affection. And now the odd duck – his odd duck – had remembered.

Dean wondered briefly if he should hide Xena when his brother next came over, and decided, sod it. If Sam complained, he'd set Cas on him. That'd teach him!


	26. Y is for.... Yoga?

Christmas Eve

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Well, for mouse substitute Anaximander the suicidal guinea-pig, who was in his double-barred cage for his and everyone else's safety.

Dean and his friends were having a giant Christmas Dinner at the Roadhouse tomorrow, and following it up with a barbecue on his new grill on Boxing Day. Almost everyone he knew would be there, except for his old flame Lisa and her son Ben, who were flying to St. Louis to spend the festive season with her new boyfriend, Matt. So Dean was surprised to come home from the shops and find her car in the driveway.

“We're on an afternoon flight”, she explained, “and Ben's attending a friend's birthday party at MacDonald's with my mom. We're going straight from there, and meeting up again at the airport. But he sends his best wishes, Dean, and we got you this.”

She handed over two presents. Dean grinned as he opened the inevitable 'Y' bracelet-bead, which had an odd outline on the back that looked like a badly-drawn ghost. Then he opened the other present.

It was a set of ten DVD's. The top one was 'A Course in Basic Yoga: Part 1/10'. He forced a smile onto his face, although he knew instinctively that it was far from convincing.

“Lovely”, he said, trying not to grimace. “Cas always says I should start learning this.”

Lisa stared at Cas for a moment before the two of them promptly fell about laughing. Dean stared at them in surprise.

“What's so funny?” he demanded.

Cas eventually managed to regain control of himself, and took up the top DVD. Opening it, he extracted the inner card with the yoga cover on it, then handed the case back to Dean. He could now see that there was a second card behind it:

'Ten-DVD set Star Wars Episodes IV-VI plus bonus scenes  
1\. A New Hope (Part 1/3)  
Digitally remastered'.

“The very best”, Lisa promised him. “Cas said that the ones you had were not that good, and we decided that this was something you'd really enjoy.”

“Y is for Yoga”, Cas said. “Oops, I meant Yoda.”

“I hate you both!” Dean said pouting, and kissed the visitor. “Cas, do we...”

His husband already had out the carrier bag containing the presents they had got for Lisa and Ben. Wrapped by Cas, of course; items wrapped by Dean always looked as if they'd been done in the back of a moving car while it had been doing handbrake turns.

“Thanks”, Lisa grinned. “Enjoy tomorrow, and be flexible!”

“Don't worry”, Cas reassured her. “I'm flexible enough for both of us!”

She pulled a face of mock disgust, laughed and left. 

“So”, Cas said, “now you know why I bought all that extra popcorn, so we could....”

The rest of that sentence was lost as Dean pulled him into a fierce hug. And if Cas felt something wet on his shoulder, well, he chose not to comment on it. Dean deserved good things.


	27. Z is for Zeppelin

Christmas Day

Dean was half afraid that Cas was gonna give him his last set of presents at the Roadhouse, and he'd end up sloshing emotions all over the floor in front of everyone he knew and cared about. He'd given Cas his book that morning, and his husband had been very appreciative.

Dean shifted slightly on his cushion. Yup, very very appreciative!

To his surprise Cas came in with three presents, which he placed in front of Dean.

“Unwrap the largest one first”, he said. “I want your last present to be a surprise.”

“Nerd”, Dean said affectionately, unwrapping what was obviously a book. He laughed when he saw that it was an ABC.

“Think I'm a bit old for that”, he said.

“It's not for children”, Cas said. “Each day contains a reminder of the present you got this year, with a note from the person who gave it to you to tell you how much they love you.”

Dean felt himself welling up already. He quickly opened the 'Z' bracelet-bead, and found that it had tiny print on the back that read 'ABC 123'. Cas took it from him and opened the bracelet box, then proceeded to thread the final bead into place. Dean smiled at him.

The third and final present was small, and seemed to be some sort of material. Except when he unfolded it, it turned out to be a tiny Zeppelin onesie. Even opened out, it almost fitted in Dean's outstretched hand.

“Um, a bit small?” he ventured uncertainly.

“Well”, Cas sighed, “then I suppose we'll just have to find someone else to fit it.”

Reality caught Dean so hard that he gasped. He stared at his husband incredulously, who nodded back at him.

“I've downloaded all the forms”, Cas smiled, “and after Christmas we can apply to be parents. I'm ready, Dean. It's time we became a real family.”

Somehow the guy named after an angel was around the table and pulling his inert and keening husband into a hug, as Dean sobbed out his gratitude.

+~+~+

There were cheers all round at the Roadhouse later that day, when they broke their plans to everyone, and there was even pie (yes, 'someone' had Christmas pudding as well, duh!). Dean thought he could never have been happier, but when he lay in bed that night in his angel's arms, he knew that he had many even happier days ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus story for Boxing Day and New Year's Eve coming up!


End file.
